Montreal's pit-bull ban likely to fall under new administration

Montreal’s contentious pit-bull ban, which spawned petitions bearing tens of thousands of names, court injunctions,international headlines and calls by animal-rights activists to boycott the city, could be a thing of the past, less than a year after it came into being.

That is, unless Quebec follows through on its pledge to institute a ban of its own.

Montrealers who had been sending pit-bull-type dogs out of the province for fear they would be euthanized will likely be able to purchase or adopt them once again. Owners will likely no longer have to muzzle them or pay $150 a year for a specialized license or submit to a criminal background check.

On Thursday, 33 city council candidates of former opposition party Projet Montréal, and mayor-elect Valérie Plante, will be officially sworn in after the Nov. 5 municipal elections. They will form the majority on city council.

Plante and her party were opposed to the pit-bull ban and other changes to the city’s animal control bylaw created by former mayor Denis Coderre’s administration following a fatal attack on 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais in June 2016. They have promised to repeal elements of the law pertaining to pit-bull-type dogs. Plante has been clear that she is against breed-specific legislation, noting that numerous studies and the repeal of such laws in hundreds of jurisdictions shows the premise does not work.

The Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was quick to rejoice when Projet Montréal won, in part because the party had a detailed outline of how it would approach animal welfare in its election platform, as opposed to Équipe Denis Coderre, which had none.

“Projet Montréal agreed that it would get rid of the bylaw against certain types of dogs, that it would open a city shelter and get rid of calèches in Old Montreal,” said SPCA executive director Élise Desaulniers. “And all of those issues are important for the Montreal SPCA.”

She has heard the repeal of the pit-bull ban “could come quickly,” she said.

Projet Montréal has also called for the gradual removal of the city’s horse-drawn carriages to protect the welfare of the horses, slowly reducing the number of permits for calèche drivers, of which there are currently 24. The idea has met with strong opposition from drivers who don’t want to lose their livelihoods and argue the work is not cruel to the horses.

The future of Montreal’s pit bulls hinges, as well, on the will of Quebec, which in April tabled Bill 128, which would force municipalities to ban any breed of dog it classifies as “potentially dangerous.” Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux has singled out pit bulls, saying the goal is to phase the breed out of existence.

SPCA director Desaulniers of the SPCA said she hopes Montreal’s abolishment of the ban, as well as a coroner’s report into Vadnais’s death that deemed banning breeds is not effective, would influence Quebec’s future animal control legislation. The organization is mostly concerned about Montreal’s lack of funding. Its research has determined Montreal spends roughly $1 per citizen, or about $1.7 million a year, on animal control, compared to Calgary, population 1.2 million, which spends $10 per citizen, most of it funded by animal license fees. Calgary’s Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, which does not ban breeds but is very strict about managing and even euthanizing aggressive dogs, is cited by Projet Montréal.

“If we want citizens to be safe and if we want animals to be safe also and in good condition, we need Montreal to spend more,” Desaulniers said.

Sterling Downey, Projet Montréal’s former spokesperson for animal welfare, said prior to the election the party would hold public consultations on new animal control bylaws, and repeal laws requiring muzzles or harnesses except for dogs deemed dangerous. Any dog who attacks would be dealt with severely, he said.

The death of Vadnais at the jaws of a dog who was known to have attacked two other people was in part the fault of the previous administration for not enforcing the rules that were already in its animal bylaw, Downey said. Projet Montréal will tackle those issues through proper inspections and follow-through, he pledged.

Since new councillors are only taking office on Thursday, they cannot speak officially until then, but the party does not intend to backtrack on its pledges, Projet Montréal spokesperson Youssef Amane said.

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